Will Botox Make Me Beautiful?

Well, the boring answer to the question posed in the title of this article is of course dependent on your perception of beauty. The interesting one - if your idea of beauty is a face that looks bright, alert and engaged – then ‘Yes, Botox can definitely make you beautiful!”

That’s because there are no forehead frown lines or ‘brackets’ at the side of your mouth making you look displeased and the person speaking to you wonder what they’ve said to annoy you. They’re only telling you about the fab new hotel they spend the weekend at, after all. Nothing to get all frowny about…

My own foray into the world of Botox injections was slow to arrive. I’d seen friends benefit (see above) and was curious to know if the treatment would have a similar effect on the chasm-like frown line between my own eyebrows. I’d been a curious kid – regularly confused, hence the two-inch vertical line that had now established itself permanently on the spot. This was unfair, I thought, and definitely not a reflection of my current personality. Since growing into adulthood the confusion I felt with the world had turned to cynicism (which is more of an eyebrow- raising ‘reeaaaally??” expression) than a baffled frown.

As a fan of herbal remedies, the initial idea of Botox didn’t sit well

So, what held me back? Well, as a fan of natural remedies I wasn’t particularly sure I wanted to go down the ‘injections’ route. I was used to rubbing arnica on my skin to prevent bruising and regularly popping magnesium and calcium supplements to help me sleep and keep me calm in what was frankly becoming a bit of a nightmare career in magazine editing. And therein lies the rub…

As the editor of a reasonably-successful middle-market lifestyle magazine I have to regularly meet with advertising clients. It’s important for me to be charming with them – hardly something that a permanent frown facilitates! The onset of digital publications has made it more difficult to get advertising revenue – with the result this had become an incredibly important part of my job (albeit one I didn’t actually ‘sign up’ for in the first place). Anyhow, you can see why an injection or two of Botox to help me look ‘interesting and engaged’ all the time - without having to nurse a sore head at the end of the day - was becoming ever-more appealing.

But, of course, being a writer, I was intent on researching the hell out of the subject before actually going to see an aesthetic surgeon (yep, there would be no ‘Botox parties’ for me!). So, I discovered quite a bit; facts such as these:

A few Botox facts

• In America, women sign up for botox more than any other aesthetic treatment – and this has been the case for the last two decades!
• The number of women getting Botox in the States increased by 16.3 per cent between 2017 and 2018, according to the American Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery.
• Here in the UK, the British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons (BAAPS) said that from 2011 to 2015, requests for Botox from women aged between 19 – 34 increased by 41 per cent.
• In New York and LA there are salons that offers ‘drive-thru’ Botox. The New York versions even have photobooths where customers can take an immediate photo of themselves afterwards to upload onto Instagram or other social media channels.

Botox is not the same as ‘facial fillers’

While researching Botox, I got a bit confused between Botox and facial fillers. Surely they are the same thing ie they both make you look younger by getting rid of frown lines? Well, apparently not. Not only is the substance different in each treatment – Botox is the injection of the botulinum toxin, while “facial fillers” (also known as ‘dermal fillers’) involved injecting collagen.

Botox is a treatment for frown lines and wrinkles that has an anti-ageing effect. It works by reducing the activity of the muscles in the face that cause the frowning (ie wrinkles). Facial fillers also result in a younger-looking appearance, but they do this by plumping out the wrinkles with collagen. This helps stimulate collagen growth (something our faces lose as we age).

The decision to ‘do’ Botox

So, arming myself with as much night time reading material and research as I could manage; I did a lot of swotting. The result was, it didn’t appear dangerous, scary or too expensive. Our beauty editor in the office and one of the main reception secretaries had openly told me - when I started asking around a couple of months ago - that Omniya was where they had come. Both now receive six-monthly top-up treatments – and have done for a number of years! Why didn’t anyone tell me?!! It was the fact they’d had Botox and I didn’t have a clue from looking at them! That's what persuaded me to sign up for Botox treatment. After all, both women still had perfectly malleable faces as far as I was concerned.

After several recommendations I took an afternoon off work (using up one of my valuable annual leave days) and headed along to the Omniya Clinic in Knightsbridge, London. This is where I met Dr Thu Linh. She instantly put me as ease with her beatific smile and gentle nature. There we had a consultation where she discussed both Botox and fillers. In the end we settled on Botox as the best treatment for my frown line; since it was so deep and have been around for such a long time!

I was then booked in for a treatment a fortnight later. The day of my actual treatment I just took an extended lunch break as the actual procedure only lasted 25 minutes. Was there pain you’re no doubt wondering? Actually, not really – not in my case. It’s just the same instantaneous nip you’d feel from an injection at the GP.

And the result…

As you can imagine I was a tad self-conscious when I returned to work that afternoon. I’d told Joanne, my PA what I was up to but no-one else in the office. And guess what – no-one noticed anything unusual! The full effects of the Botox don’t really kick in until around a fortnight later anyway; and by which time, I’d gotten used to the idea. As the ‘chasm’ between my brows began to recede a few colleagues and friends asked If I’d joined a gym. Or had suddenly increased by sleeping regime because my face was looking fresh and relaxed. Ladies, I lied! No, I didn’t – I told them exactly what I’d had done, and where. This was in the hope that when one of them discover a great new beauty treatment, from now on they’ll let me in on too…